The tape watchers and analytics junkies all agree that Roquan Smith is an excellent selection
Almost never do you find a consensus player that is universally liked? Even some draft analysts were against Saquon Barkley and talked up other running backs in this class along with the lack of value in taking a running back high. However, Roquan Smith is a player that almost truly in universally liked.
The fans love him. The media loves him. Pure film and feel analysts like him and even the analytical crowd likes him. In fact, Pro Football Focus grades him out as elite in almost every one of their statistical categories.
Among defenders with at least 300 snaps, Smith ranked fifth in the entire country in run stop percentage. He ranked third in tackling efficiency against the run, and fourth in tackling efficiency against the pass.
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In terms of pass rushing, Smith is also elite. He ranked second in pass rush productivity and second in sacks among off-ball linebackers. Those marks almost come with an asterisk because Genard Avery of Memphis leads the categories. Avery is an edge defender who was too small and is moving inside as a result.
Lastly, Smith ranked second across the country in defensive stops and first in coverage grade.
What is interesting is that despite the excellent marks in coverage, when he was targeted, it was not as pretty.
In terms of yards per tackle and yards per cover snap, Roquan Smith ranks 71st and 36th respectively. Now, do not take these marks as huge concerns, they are out of over 140 linebackers graded. Still, sitting around average for Roquan Smith is almost unheard of.
On top of that, in terms of his overall grading, the only marks he did not score elite in are completion percentage allowed and passer rating allowed.
So while many are questioning his ability to shed blocks between the tackles, there may actually be more questions about his ability to give up yards in coverage.